Windows 8–lots of little things, and one big one, make it great

This should be an interesting year for personal computing. The Intel Ultrabook concept will come into its own, Apple will make the Pro and the Air and the iPad  is even better, Android tablets will finally come into their own with Ice Cream Sandwich . . . and the thing that could change the whole game: Windows 8. I’ve been using it for a couple of months and I have to say now that I’ve adjusted my thinking to it (yes, that had to happen) I have a hard time going back to Windows 7 or to Android, or to anything else. Why?

1. All the little things, yes. Touch screen handling is silky smooth edge to edge. Performance is snappy everywhere (even compared to Windows 7, and remember: this is a BETA I’m using). The preview apps for photos, news, finance, weather and more are beautiful, functional and informative. The cross-everything search function is nice. Internet Explorer 10 is amazing: it’s beautiful and snappy and all that, and there are lots of little things like underscored spell check in web forms (good by again, Firefox), swiping for forward and back (just like Tony Stark, but not in 3D), and on and on. And I've just scratched the surface.
2. The big thing: it’s still Windows, and it runs desktops, laptops and tablets.
3. Reflect on #2 for a moment. Windows 8 is still Windows. All my stuff that works on Windows 7 also works on Windows 8 (mostly – it’s still a Beta). That’s most of most people’s stuff, even now.
4. OK, it’s still Windows and runs my stuff; so what? What: it’s got a split personality: Metro and Aero. Aero is what Windows 7 looks like. Metro looks like the picture above. Now, there are lots of very famous and popular bloggers who complain about this. Why do we need both? It’s ugly and inconsistent! But I love it! I, along with millions of other computer users, have been using computers and tablets for awhile now. The computer is where the “work” gets done, mostly, and the tablet is where the “fun” happens, mostly. Do you see it? Metro is where the tablety ‘fun’ happens: read, look at pictures, browse, look at news, use apps. Aero is where the computery ‘work’ happens: Outlook, Word, time recording, photo editing, and so on. If you run this on a convertible tablet like the ThinkPad x220t on which I’m typing this (in Live Writer, under Aero – it’s "work", after all), it’s like having two devices in one: a computer and a tablet. But it’s a tablet. And it’s a computer. And it’s all on one device. No compromises.
5. Reflect on #4 for a moment. It’s the ultimate “two devices in one” with almost no compromises (other than having to get used to it).

I read an article recently (can't recall where, so can't attribute) that mentioned the concept of people having a laptop, getting a tablet to replace it, trying that for awhile, and ending up carrying around both devices because the tablet just couldn't cut it.

See?

That’s all for now. This thing’s going to be big!

XFINITY EasySolve: just because you can do a thing . . .

Comcast is sending out emails announcing a new service called EasySolve. It’s a self-help tool that purports to help resolve multiple types of issues that users may face. While this may be a good and valuable tool, the first question should be: “Is it necessary?” For Interconnected Technologies clients the answer is, for now, “no”.

Just as with the ConstantGuard offering from Comcast, EasySolve may or may not ultimately be a part of what we recommend to clients. For now, though, there is enough concern about stability and function to cause is to advise staying away from both offerings, with one key exception, which we’ll discuss below.

The Comcast home and Business internet service remain rock solid, and we recommend them. It’s just the add-on products of which one must be wary. Not because they’re bad, but because they’re new, relatively untested, and at least for now largely unnecessary. They may prove to be useful, or they may prove to be at best unnecessary, and at worst potentially destructive (like Registry Mechanic, Driver Detective and other well-meaning but overly-invasive programs).

One principle on which we base our service is that we should obtain services from the best specialists in each area, bundling those services only where it makes clear sense. Comcast is an excellent Internet Service Provider, and their phone service is quite good, but as they grow into other areas: product provider, Exchange provider, support provider, backup provider, etc., those other areas must be evaluated individually: are they the best provider of that service?

The one exception? Norton Security Suite, which is at the core of the ConstantGuard offering, is absolutely necessary, which is why our Comcast residential clients use that one piece of the ConstantGuard suite of products.

Navigating all this can be complex and fraught with difficulty, unless you have Interconnected Technologies guiding you through it!

Flamer virus not an issue for Interconnected Technologies’ clients

There has been a great deal of press lately about the Flame or Flamer virus taking over the world and doing all sorts of nefarious things. Interconnected Technologies clients need not worry about this, however, since we always ensure that Norton Antivirus, Norton Internet Security, Norton Security Suite or Norton Business Suite (depending on the client, the internet service and the business need) is installed and protecting all client machines.

Here is a recent communication from Symantec about this:

This is one of the many benefits of doing business with Interconnected Technologies, and we thank our clients for entrusting their I/T security, among other things, to us!

Windows 8 is coming!

Just a placeholder, a forecast, a prediction, a hope. Windows 8 is coming. Most people have heard that in one way or another or seen a picture, or something.

Windows 8, if done correctly, can change everything. We’ve worked with clients to give them access to much of their Windows “stuff” on smartphones and tablets in some way shape or form. It’s not straightforward, no matter what Microsoft, Apple, Egnyte, or anyone else says. Imagine if your smartphone or tablet actually ran Windows, and ran it well - if your stuff were just there, in largely the same way in largely the same place across your phone, tablet, laptop and desktop.

That would really be something. And Windows is really the only platform that could do it, given current market share numbers.

But we’re not talking about Windows as we all know it. We’re talking about the same Windows files and data and applications, but running in an entirely different way, on an entirely different OS.

We’ve been looking at Windows 8’s beta release for a couple of months and like all betas it’s not finished yet, but if Microsoft can pull this off, it has the potential to make using a phone, tablet, laptop and desktop a much more seamless experience than has been possible, or could be possible, with any other platform, ever. With the futures of Microsoft, Intel, AMD, Dell, Lenovo, HP, Nokia, the cellular carriers, and a thousand other companies that nobody’s ever heard of all tied up together in this, there certainly is potential for a circular firing squad. If, however, they can focus and really bring this off, it’ll be the most significant platform upgrade since Windows itself. And yes, I do know about MacOS. And yes, I’m guessing Apple has a few tricks up its sleeve too – MacOS 11 anyone? iOS 6? Maybe some convergence? A unified MacOS and iOS would be significant, since Apple still has a majority share of the tablet market, and a significant share of the smartphone market. But this would pale in comparison to what Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 have the potential to do, if done correctly.

The convergence of phone, tablet, laptop and desktop. Not to mention radio, television, and movies, is happening. Microsoft and Apple still control the computer market with 92% and 4% respectively (that’s 96% total; the rest is Linux and “other”), and while Android tops the smartphone market, and will probably continue to do so, Gartner and IDC have predicted that Windows Phone will be #2 within 3 years. And Windows 8 comes out this year, maybe along with Windows Phone 8, which will in some large part be based on Windows 8.

This all started just a couple of years ago, remember, and 2012 may not be the year that the earth changes rotation and we all go flying off into space, but Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and maybe MacOS 11 and some sort of MacOS/iOS convergence, could be the earth-shattering occurrences the Mayans predicted!

This should be fun.

Just in time for Christmas!

Rackspace Email or Outlook Web Access Login

Over time I am migrating more clients to Rackspace’s web-based email and Exchange offerings. These services can be accessed it in several ways, one of which we’ll describe here: via the web.

“Webmail” used to mean a completely separate, independent internet-based mechanism to access one’s email from time to time, typically when away from one’s “main” computer. It was entirely separate from one’s main way of doing email, and nothing done in Webmail was ever reflected back in the “Main” email program (typically Outlook). That was before Microsoft Exchange became available as a hosted service at a reasonable price. Paired with the less-expensive Rackspace Mail, now clients can access email through Outlook, smartphones, tablets and via any internet-connected computer, and all with no loss of information: everything is available in each place, and changes in one are reflected in the other. This is one of the key advantages of this type of email.

With Rackspace’s service, there are two types of accounts: Rackspace Mail and hosted Microsoft Exchange. Each has its advantages; among them: access from any internet-connected computer. Rackspace Mail is intended to be used as an entirely web-based email program (like Gmail, Yahoo, and others), but also allows use through mobile devices. Microsoft Exchange can be accessed via the web, through Outlook and through mobile devices.

Logging in via an Internet-connected Computer

To access one’s mailbox (of whichever flavor), you may visit Interconnected Technologies’ web site and follow the link to Rackspace’s services, or you may go directly to this site:

You will see the following screen, regardless of whether you are a Rackspace Mail or Exchange user.

Enter your email address and password

Press the Log In button

(if you are on a private, secure computer, used only by you, you may first check the “Remember this info” checkbox to allow the web site to sign you in automatically in the future)

If you are a Rackspace Mail user, you will see the webmail screen:

If you are a Microsoft Exchange user, you will see the Outlook Web Access screen:

That’s it – this is how you access your mailbox from any Internet-connected computer.